Retroperitoneal abscess.

Perforated bowel or diseases of the retroperitoneal organs may be complicated by retroperitoneal abscess formation. Six cases of retroperitoneal abscess treated at Ife University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, over a two-year period are reported. Delayed presentation was responsible for the only death in the series and was also associated with prolonged morbidity in the remaining five cases. Early presentation and diagnosis, use of appropriate antibiotics, and prompt surgical intervention are factors that appear to influence the morbidity of the disease.